capeandcowl | [the twenty-first] / [video]

Entry tags:

edward nygma | riddler

[the twenty-first] / [video]

[His eyes are peeking betwixt ungloved fingers, wide and wild. Edward does not blink throughout the entire transmission, but his pupils are consistently darting to and fro, darting about at a hummingbird’s pace. He looks disheveled, wretched and yet glowing with some intangible, nigh-golden force.]

I can—I have tried—over these past few hours—youhavetounderstanditisalotto—

[A pause. He seems captivated by something; he takes a deep, sensual breath.]

Cameron—who? Their safety—John and—and—Kyle and GLaDOS and who--? That can’t stop the cold. The lonely—that feeling won’t—look, I’m sorry—

[Grabs at the communicator, shaking it.]

Don’t. Don’t ignore this. The Porter—Don’t attack. I can see it, feel it, God it’s almost like being it, Alastair, don’t yield to that—It can’t end well—bloody hell, someone stop him! Someone stop it.

[A crack in his voice; the strain is apparent.]

Desire. Please. Stop it.

ooc || Eddie’s been hooked to the Threshold! That means he’ll be spewing desires from this permissions post throughout the span of comments here. If your desire wasn’t mentioned in the opening (didn’t want to bullet the material) fret not! Eddie will be sure to play the sibyl to someone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He stops and actually turns to look at her, lowering his face closer to hers. ]

You're not supposed to do anything here. This place is what you make it.

Is that what you want to do? Protect John who clearly fails to appreciate anything and everything you manage to offer him?

[ A different kind of girl would be startled by the sudden lack of personal space. However Cameron barely has a concept of personal space to start and she is not afraid of Nigel in any capacity. ]

I realize that. I am trying...

I don't know what I want for myself. I want him to grow up into the person I met to start. I want to have a clearer idea of my function, here. What I can do. What I should do.

[ Nigel reaches up with both hands and grasps Cameron's arms -- not tightly, but firmly. As close as he is already, he moves his face ever closer, his eyes going large and intense as he speaks. ]

You can do whatever you'd like, Cameron. And you can choose to be ruled by whatever you want. Efficiency. Morality. Your emotions. John.

What you should do is figure out what that is. And forget about all the rest, because they're of no consequence at all.

That's what I want for you. Can't you see that?

[ Nothing in her body language changes; Cameron doesn't freeze or tense up, her own eyes remain exactly the same size as she takes int Nigel's earnest intensity.

Anyone else would be either affronted or terrified by his behavior. Cameron isn't bothered in the least. ]

Yes. I realize that, and I appreciate it, really. I have a very hard time doing this alone. I am not used to there being so much of a lack and an opportunity all at once.

I don't want to be like this, Nigel. Distraught and distracted every time he says something hurtful or something I cannot control happens. I don't. And I don't intend to remain this way.

[ Nigel lifts a hand and uses it to squeeze Cameron shoulder. He smiles at her very faintly with a kind of boyish charm -- fleeting, but there. ]

If you don't want it, then it won't happen.

[ Taking her arm in his again he slowly starts back down the sidewalk, giving her a sideways glance. ]

I have very little faith in most people, Cameron. It's not the sort of thing I think I can afford to squander. But I do believe you're capable of doing whatever it is that you want. [ He ticks an eyebrow and his tone is teasing, though there is a slight edge to it. ]

Don't disappoint.

[ Cameron tilts her head up towards him as they walk, eventually gaining a small smile. ]

It is very nice - and very different, I might add - to be the recipient of someone's faith. Especially someone whom I hold in a rather high regard, Nigel.

[ Her smile spreads and she tilts her chin up a bit, laughing almost. ]

I would hate to disappoint, my friend.

I'm not one for flattery, Cameron. Though I imagine you're not either, so I suppose the most appropriate thing to say would be thank you, given the situation.

[ He glances at her again and seems to approve of the fact that she's smiling now. ]

How do you suppose I can best help?

No. Flattery is suggestive of embellishment and neither of us require such things in conversation. You are welcome, however.

[ She thinks about it. ]

So far you have been very good at pointing out when my reactions are disproportionate to the desired reaction. Spending time with you is good; beyond conversation, observation and interaction allows me to better understand your methods.

[ Nigel lifts his face to the sky and chuckles very quietly. Each laugh billows a small plume of breath. ]

You know, most people wouldn't think it's a good idea, adopting my methods. [ His eyes slide sideways to look at her again. ] I'm not a very likeable person, I'm afraid, Cameron.

I am not most people, Nigel. For a very long time I argued that I was not a person at all.

[ She tilts her head up at him, smiling more. ]

I am aware that you are not considered 'likeable', along with several other aspects of your personality that would be considered disparaging to most people and I am not worried about it. Your methods are efficient.

[ He smiles again at her. It's sort of strange to him that these smiles are fairly genuine, compared to most other smiles he gives people, which are usually just polite. Not many people speak highly of Nigel when he's being himself. His mother did, though. Perhaps that's what it is, but he doesn't dwell on it. ]

No. You're not. That's what I like about you, Cameron. You're not most people at all.

[ Looking back up to the sky, he pats her sleeve again with a hand idly. ]

Were you able to find somebody suitable yet? To satisfy your needs?

[ She makes a small, breathy laugh. She's well aware of Nigel's opinion on her decision to find someone to sleep with. ]

Yes and no. It is complicated, but I would hazard to say that I am only used to situations in which things are complex. She has a girlfriend, a fiancee, that she will likely never see again unless she were to arrive here.

[ A shrug. ]

We'll see. I knew the risks when I asked. It's very possible the relationship will revert to a friendship when she returns.

Was she at least satisfactory?

[ The questions more neutral than anything; just another topic of conversation, not lurid at all. Before she answers, Nigel smirks. He finds it somewhat amusing that she's not bothered by the prospect of a fiancee. Most people would be. He stops the both of them again, on a street corner as the crosswalk light goes red, and then turns to her a second time. When he does, he lifts a hand and idly touches a lock of her hair that's blown into her face. ]

You know, Cameron. It's rather unfortunate I didn't meet you sooner. [ His eyes take a slow path around her face, only a few inches from his. ] You really are something.

[ Cameron smiles, both at the question and the gesture. She isn't flattered but she finds it interesting. Appealing, the way he looks at her right now.

Fiancees don't bother her because she has a very different concept of love and fidelity than most anyone else she has ever encountered. Where Karolina here that would be a different matter entirely. But she is not, and Xavin is, and Cameron doesn't intend to replace her in the other girl's memory. ]

Oh, yes. We both enjoyed ourselves.

[ And the fact remains that she would do it again, will do it again, if Xavin is amenable towards it. Cameron seriously doubts she will be, however. ]

Yes, I suppose it is.

[ The crosswalk light clicks over to green, but Nigel doesn't bother to usher them along. He's still too busy staring at Cameron. His breath plumes out across her face in warm mist. His eyes narrow in curiosity when he asks. It's the sort of question that would come off as loaded from most people, but to Nigel things rarely work that way. ]

If I had offered, would you have said yes?

[ She blinks, but it's not a direct response to his question. Not entirely, anyway. Though it doesn't take any consideration for her to answer. ]

Of course, Nigel.

Edited 2009-11-07 06:41 (UTC)

Huh. [ A tiny laugh -- mostly surprise, though some amusement mixed in -- as the corner of Nigel's mouth crooks upwards. ]

You don't think there's anything wrong with me?

Wrong with you? No, I don't think anything is wrong with you.

[ She is being honest. ]

Telling me you did not have a lot of experience in that subject isn't indicative of something wrong.

[ He laughs and takes a step closer, resting both hands at the collar of her coat, pulling it up slightly along with her scarf again in what's meant to be a warming, grooming gesture. ]

Oh, no. Not about that. In general, I mean, Cameron. The way I deal with things or choose not to. The way I behave.

[ Cameron gives Nigel a smile as he does this, standing perfectly still in the interim, keeping her eyes on his face as opposed to watching his hands. ]

Ah. I am aware of the labels a doctor or society would give you, Nigel. I simply do not care.

[ Nigel continues to tug gently at bits of cloth. Arranging and then re-arranging them around Cameron's throat, along the line of her jaw, up slightly to cover her mouth and then down again to tuck beneath her chin. Even though the process is idle, there's an efficiency to his hands. He continues to smile at her, perhaps a bit more complicity now. ]

And what about the labels they'd give you for associating with me? Do you not care about those either?

Why would I? I have been given worse labels simply for the nature of my creation. A soulless machine, complicit in the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

What could they call me for being friends with someone they would call sociopathic? Why would I even bother to listen?

[ She tilts her head, slightly, still smiling. ]

Infiltration does not mean becoming one of the mindless masses, Nigel.

No. No, it doesn't. Unlike most people, you actually understand what that means. So few do.

[ Nigel's staring has gone slightly peculiar and fascinated at the edges. He's not entirely sure if this has something to do with Desire, or whether his reactions to Cameron right now are truly his own, but in the end -- just as with most things -- Nigel ultimately doesn't care. Eventually his hands come to rest on either side of her collar-covered neck, some of his fingers touching her face very lightly. ]

You know. As odd as this may seem, I think I might be rather fond of you, Cameron. What that means coming from someone like me...I'm not to sure.

Edited 2009-11-07 07:37 (UTC)

Again, we are different from the rest. You told me that first, Nigel.

[ The smile remains and so does the stillness. The only change his touch brings is a slight warming to his skin but even her breathing remains even. She doesn't mind it, or his intense looks. She likes them, honestly. ]

I would not mind your fondness, Nigel. What it means is not something I will spend time losing sleep over. Will you?

[ His expression remains quiet for a moment before he breaks into another wide smile. It makes some of the bruised parts of his face hurt, but that discomfort barely registers in his expression. ]

No. I don't suspect I will. [ A beat as he presses the back of one hand to her cheek very briefly in a testing motion. ]

...cold?

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